Game table bed leveler



United States Patent 3,030,729 GAME TABLE BED LEVELER Alvin P. Elden, Minneapolis, Minn, assignor to The Frederick-Willy's Company, Inc., Farmington, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Apr. 21, 1960, Ser. No. 23,834 3 Claims. (Cl. 45-139) This invention relates to game boards such as pool tables, billiard tables and the like which have large horizontal surfaces which must remain flat if the game is to be one of skill rather than luck. It consists of a series of braces running crosswise of the table underneath its bed and having a spaced leveling bar secured thereto at points adjacent each end. The leveler bar contains screw devices which can apply upward thrust or downward pull on the braces of the table surface or bed.

Prior existing game board bed levelers known to me have been of the type that bowed the table either up or down depending on the manner of turning the adjusting mechanism. S'uch devices are quite satisfactory when the table is either generally concave or generally convex in a given area. They do not seem to be adequate to the situation in which in any given horizontal section the board is irregularly warped as to be concave inpart and convex in part viewed from the top. Under such circumstances in any given cross-section the board must be pushed up in some areas and pulled down in others. Furthermore, as this type of leveling device is used usually only on relatively inexpensive equipment, the more expensive type of tables for this general use are being made of a rigid material such as slate or the like which does not distort, the device must be one that is relatively inexpensive. Furthermore, the device must be a positive acting one which holds the adjustment given to it. Finally the adjusting device is preferably one that may be used by unskilled persons with success and with out the need of special instruments of any kind.

Accordingly it is the principal object of this invention y to provide a novel game board bed adjusting device. It is a further object of this invention to provide such an adjusting device which may make both concave and a: convex changes in the surface of the board in any given cross-sectional area.

Yet another object of this device is to provide a game board leveling device employing thumb screws controlling screw thread pressure applying devices that make it readily pseable by inexperienced personnel and without special too s.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a game board leveling device comprising braces spaced at intervals along the length of the board having a leveling mechanism beneath the brace which, at various points, can apply both upward thrust and downward pull on the brace.

Still other objects are inherent in the specific structures shown and described herein.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, this invention then comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which the same numerals refer to corresponding parts and in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a game board table with broken lines showing approximate location of adjusting braces;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the table taken 3,030,729 Patented Apr. 24, 1962 "ice on the line 2-2 in FIG. 1 and shown on a slightly larger scale than used in FIG. 1. Broken lines illustrate hidden parts; and

FIG. 3 is a still further enlarged vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 and showing details of the adjusting mechanism.

In the drawings 19 represents the usual supporting structure of the pool table within which is supported a bed 11 covered with a felt cloth 12 and often referred to in the trade as the felt. The table has the usual banking cushions 14 and is provided with ball receiving pockets 15 in this instance, as the disclosure is being made with respect to a pool table. The thin material making up the bed 11 must be supported at intervals as by the braces 16 to which the adjusting mechanism is secured.

The adjusting mechanism, which is the invention, comprises a stout bar such as the one designated 17 which is secured to brace 16 in a spaced relationship by means of nails 18 or other suitable means extending through both the bar 17 and the spacing blocks 19. At intervals along the length of the brace are the adjusting mechanisms generally designated 20. As all of these adjusting mechanisms are alike, only one will be described in detail and that with reference to FIG. 3.

In FIG. 3 the adjusting mechanism may be seen to consist of a screw thread member 21 which is rigidly secured to bar 17 by suitable means and here shown preferably as the nuts 22 and 24 embracing the bar 17 in the recesses 25 and 26 respectively. By means of these nuts clamping the bar, the screw thread member 21 is held stationary with respect to the bar 17. It neither rotates nor can move vertically unless the bar 17 moves with it. Screw 21 extends down through a bore 27 in bar 17 and in the course of so doing passes through a slot 28. Within this slot and threadably engaging screw 21 is the thumb nut 29. When thumb nut 29 is turned in a direction that moves it down on screw 21 it applies a force against the lower side of slot 23 in bar 17. In so doing it applies a vertical thrust to brace 16 and consequently to bed 11. Exactly the reverse is true when thumb nut 29 is turned in a direction that causesit to rise on screw 21. As shown in FIG. 3 the thumb nut is applying an upward thrust to the screw 21 so as to cause the bed of the playing table to be moved upward in order to counteract a tendency for the bed to be concave at that point when viewed from the top. In applying a force with thumb nut 29 tending to pull the table down in order to overcome a tendency of the bed to be convex when viewed from the top, thumb nut 29 would be first moved upward against the top of slot 28 and then would continue turning beginning to apply its downward pull.

It is apparent that many modifications and variations of this invention as hereinbefore set forth may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The specific embodiments described are given by way of example only and the invention is limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A game table having a bed with braces secured thereto and extending transversely thereof, a pair of spacer blocks secured to a bed brace adjacent to its ends, an adjusting bar secured to said spacer blocks, said brace having a bore extending through it with recesses concentrically arranged with respect to said bore and on opposite sides of said brace, a threaded member extending through the bore of said brace, a nut threadably engaging said threaded element on top of said brace in the upper of the recesses, a nut threadably engaging said threaded member in the recess on the bottom of said brace, said screw threaded member extending through a bore in said bar; there being a transverse slot extending through said bar in the area pierced by said bore and 3 extending at right angles thereto and a thumb nut rotatably mounted in said slot and threadably engaging said screw threaded member.

2. The game table of claim 1 in which a plurality of said screw thread members, nuts and thumb nuts are arranged longitudinally on said bar of said brace.

3. For a game table of the type having a broad horizontal bed having braces at intervals along its length extending transversely thereof; a leveling device comprising: a bar rigidly secured by its ends to said brace in spaced relationship, a screw threaded element extending from said brace to said bar, said screw threaded element References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 329,395 Knorp Oct. 17, 1885 2,260,716 Kotler Oct. 28, 1941 2,479,477 Cusano Aug. 16, 1949 2,493,620 Cusano Jan. 3, 1950 2,791,429 Perec et a1 May 7, 1957 

